The field of this invention relates to an upholstery machine and more particularly to an upholstery machine which is usable for the tufting of buttons within cushions, and still more particularly to a particular novel structure of button feeding mechanism to be utilized in combination with an upholstery machine.
The typical cushion comprises a resilient pad which is covered by either fabric, vinyl or leather. In order to give the cushion an attractive exterior appearance, the cushion may have a plurality of spaced-apart buttons tufted into the exterior surface of the cushion.
The normal procedure prior to this invention for the tufting of buttons (except for the above-referenced prior patent application) has been manual. The button assembly takes the form of a lower button and an upper button which are usually identical. The lower button has attached thereto a string loop. The length of the string loop is selected to be a certain length less than the thickness of the cushion. The string loop is connected to a slot and an elongated needle. The operator then passes the needle through the cushion at the desired location. The operator pulls the string loop tight until the bottom button is pushed tightly against the bottom surface of the cushion. The operator continues to hold the string loop tight and then compresses the top surface of the cushion about the area of the string loop. The operator takes a top button and attaches it to the taut string loop while maintaining compression of the top surface of the cushion about the area of the string loop. The operator takes a top button and attaches it to the string loop and then manually releases the needle. The operator then releases the cushion which permits the cushion to expand back to its uncompressed, normal state which results in the top button being pushed tightly against the top surface of the cushion.
It is not at all unusual for a typical cushion to have as many ten, fifteen or twenty button assemblies. This manual procedure for the attaching of buttons is extremely time consuming and as a result, is labor expensive.
The machine of the above-referenced patent application semi-automated the tufting of buttons within cushions, thereby substantially decreasing the time required for such. However, the present inventor has found a way to simplify the structure of the machine of the above-referenced patent application and minimize the operating steps involved for the tufting of buttons, using an upholstery machine which is similar in construction to the machine of the above-referenced patent application.